Foot support assembly for bed

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of a foot support assembly, for preventing a person from sliding down on a bed, includes a foot support member, at least one protruding member and at least one attaching member. The at least one protruding member extends outwardly from the foot support member. The at least one protruding member includes a plurality of engagement slots configured along a length thereof. The at least one attaching member includes at least one engaging slot and an adjacent elongated groove. The at least one engaging slot is adapted to be aligned with any one engagement slot of the plurality of engagement slots for adjustably attaching the at least one attaching member to the at least one protruding member. Further, the elongated groove enables the at least one attaching member to be detachably coupled with the bed, thereby attaching the foot support assembly to the bed for supporting the person&#39;s foot thereon.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/108,064 filed on Oct. 24, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to foot rests, and more particularly, to a foot support assembly for patient beds.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Generally, a patient bed in a hospital is articulated in such a manner that a top portion of the patient bed is capable of being elevated with respect to a bottom portion of the patient bed. Such elevation of the top portion is sometimes required in order to elevate an upper body part of a patient lying on the patient bed, for a medical treatment and/or for providing comfort to the patient.

However, during such elevation of the top portion, the patient lying on the patient bed tends to slip towards the bottom portion that creates discomfort to the patient and/or results in unnecessary delay in the medical treatment. Moreover, at such slipped position, the patient himself may be incapable of repositioning on the patient bed. Therefore, regular watch by a caregiver is required to reposition the patient lying on the patient bed. Also, such repositioning may cause discomfort and/or pain to the patients.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one embodiment, a foot support assembly for preventing a person from sliding on a bed is provided. The foot support assembly includes a foot support member, at least one protruding member and at least one attaching member. The foot support member includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The foot support member is capable of supporting the person's foot lying on the bed. The at least one protruding member extends outwardly from the second surface of the foot support member. The at least one protruding member includes a plurality of engagement slots configured along a length thereof. The at least one attaching member includes at least one engaging slot and an elongated groove adjacent to the at least one engaging slot. The at least one engaging slot is adapted to be aligned with any one engagement slot of the plurality of engagement slots for adjustably attaching the at least one attaching member to the at least one protruding member. Further, the elongated groove enables the at least one attaching member to be detachably coupled with the bed, thereby detachably coupling the foot support assembly to the bed for enabling the person's foot to rest thereon for preventing the person from sliding down the bed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a foot support assembly;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the foot support assembly of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the foot support assembly of FIG. 1 in utilized state.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the description of several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

For a thorough understanding of the present disclosure, reference is to be made to the following detailed description, including the appended claims, in connection with the above-described drawings. Although the present disclosure is described in connection with exemplary embodiments, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

The term “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, elevation or importance, but rather are used to distinguish placement of one element over another. Further, the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

The present disclosure provides a foot support assembly. The foot support assembly is capable of being attached with a bed, such as a patient bed as found in hospitals. The foot support assembly enables a person, such as a patient, to rest his/her foot/feet on the foot support assembly while lying on the bed for preventing himself from sliding on the bed, thereby keeping the person in a comfortable position on the bed, and/or avoiding unnecessary delay in a medical treatment.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, one embodiment of a foot support assembly 1000 (hereinafter referred to as ‘assembly 1000’) is depicted. The assembly 1000 includes a foot support member 100, at least one protruding member, and at least one attaching member. As per this embodiment, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the at least one protruding member is shown to include two protruding members, such as a first protruding member 200 and a second protruding member 300, and further at least one attaching member is also shown to include two attaching members, such a first attaching member 400 and a second attaching member 500. Alternatively, the assembly 1000 may include only one protruding member, such as the first protruding member 200 or the second protruding member 300, and only one attaching member, such as the first attaching member 400 or the second attaching member 500.

The foot support member 100 is an elongated bar composed of a wooden material. Alternatively, the foot support member 100 may be composed of any other material, such as light weight metals. The foot support member 100 includes a first surface 102 (as shown in FIG. 2) and an opposing second surface 104. The first surface 102 includes a cushioning member 106 disposed thereon. The cushioning member 106 is attached to the first surface 102 by glues. Alternatively, the cushioning member 106 may be attached to the first surface 102 by a hook and loop fastener. Further, the cushioning member 106 is composed of a foam material. Alternatively, the cushioning member 106 may be composed of any other soft material. The foot support member 100 having the cushioning member 106 attached to the first surface 102 is capable of providing a cushioning effect to a person supporting his/her foot/feet on the foot support member 100 while lying on a bed (as shown in FIG. 3).

Further, the first protruding member 200 and the second protruding member 300, extend outwardly from the second surface 104 of the foot support member 100. The first protruding member 200 and the second protruding member 300 are elongated bars composed of a wooden material. Alternatively, the first protruding member 200 and the second protruding member 300 may be composed of any other material, such as light weight metals. The first protruding member 200 and the second protruding member 300, respectively include a plurality of engagement slots 202 and a plurality of engagement slots 302 (hereinafter also collectively referred to as ‘engagement slots 202 and 302’) configured along a length thereof. In the present embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the engagement slots 202 and 302 are, respectively eight in number. Alternatively, there may be any desired number of the engagement slots 202 and 302.

Furthermore, adjacent engagement slots of each of the engagement slots 202 and 302 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance along the respective lengths of the first protruding member 200 and the second protruding member 300. In present embodiment, the adjacent engagement slots of each of the engagement slots 202 and 302 are evenly spaced apart by a predetermined distance along the respective lengths of the first protruding member 200 and the second protruding member 300. Alternatively, they may be unevenly spaced apart. In the present embodiment, the engagement slots 202 and 302 are circular through holes. Alternatively, the engagement slots 202 and 302 may have any other configuration.

The first attaching member 400 and the second attaching member 500 are, respectively, attached in an adjustable manner to the first protruding member 200 and the second protruding member 300 by engaging implements, such as a first engaging implement 600 and a second engaging implement 700. The first attaching member 400 and the second attaching member 500 are elongated bars composed of a wooden material. Similarly, the first engaging implement 600 and the second engaging implement 700 are also elongated bars composed of a wooden material. Each of the first attaching member 400 and the second attaching member 500 includes at least one engaging slot and an elongated groove adjacent to the at least one engaging slot. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first attaching member 400 includes an engaging slot 402 (shown in FIG. 2) and an elongated groove 404 adjacent to the engaging slot 402. Similarly, the second attaching member 500 includes an engaging slot 502 and an elongated groove 504 adjacent to the engaging slot 502.

For adjustably attaching the first attaching member 400 to the first protruding member 200, the engaging slot 402 is aligned with any one engagement slot of the engagement slots 202. Upon such alignment, the first engaging implement 600 is inserted through respective slots, thereby enabling adjustable attachment. Similarly, for adjustably attaching the second attaching member 500 to the second protruding member 300, the engaging slot 502 is aligned with any one engagement slot of the engagement slots 302, and the second engaging implement 700 is inserted through respective slots for enabling adjustable attachment.

Further, the first attaching member 400 and the second attaching member 500 are adjustably coupled to a bed for detachably coupling the assembly 1000 to the bed. As show in FIGS. 1 and 2, the elongated groove 404 and the elongated groove 504 of the first attaching member 400 and the second attaching member 500, respectively, receive a portion of the bed for detachably coupling the assembly 1000 to the bed. Such detachable coupling of the assembly 1000 with the bed is explained in conjunction with FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3 one embodiment of the assembly 1000 in utilized state is shown. The assembly 1000 is detachably coupled to a bed 800. Specifically, the bed 800 includes a longitudinal bar 810 to which the assembly 1000 is detachably coupled. The assembly 1000 is detachably coupled to the longitudinal bar 810 by enabling the elongated groove 404 and 504 to receive the longitudinal bar 810. At the engaged state of the assembly 1000 to the bed 800, the assembly 1000 enables a person 900 to rest his/her foot/feet 910 thereon for preventing the person 900 from sliding on the bed 800 at an elevated state of the bed 800.

The present disclosure provides following advantages in light of an assembly, such as the assembly 1000. The assembly is capable of being attached to a bed, such as the bed 800, as found in hospitals. The assembly enables a person, such as a patient, to rest a foot or feet thereof while lying on the bed in order to prevent himself from sliding down on the bed. While supporting his/her foot/feet against the foot support member 100, the person rests at a comfortable position on the bed. Further, by using the foot support assembly, unnecessary repetitive positioning of a patient may be avoided.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present disclosure. 

1. A foot support assembly for preventing a person from sliding on a bed, the foot support assembly comprising: a foot support member having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the foot support member capable of supporting the person's foot lying on the bed; at least one protruding member extending outwardly from the second surface of the foot support member, the at least one protruding member comprising a plurality of engagement slots configured along a length thereof; and at least one attaching member comprising; at least one engaging slot adapted to be aligned with any one engagement slot of the plurality of engagement slots of the at least one protruding member for adjustably attaching the at least one attaching member to the at least one protruding member, and an elongated groove adjacent to the at least one engaging slot, wherein the elongated groove enables the at least one attaching member to be detachably coupled with the bed, thereby detachably coupling the foot support assembly to the bed for enabling the person's foot to rest thereon for preventing the person from sliding down on the bed.
 2. The foot support assembly of claim 1 further comprising a cushioning member disposed on the first surface of the foot support member for providing cushioning effect to the person's foot lying on the bed.
 3. The foot support assembly of claim 2, wherein the cushioning member is composed of foam.
 4. The foot support assembly of claim 1 further comprising an engaging implement for being inserted through the aligned at least one engaging slot of the at least one attaching member and one engagement slot of the plurality of engagement slots of the at least one protruding member for adjustably attaching the at least one attaching member to the at least one protruding member.
 5. The foot support assembly of claim 4, wherein the engaging implement is composed of a wooden material.
 6. The foot support assembly of claim 1, wherein adjacent engagement slots of the plurality of engagement slots are spaced apart by a predetermined distance along the length of the at least one protruding member.
 7. The foot support assembly of claim 1, wherein the foot support member is composed of a wooden material.
 8. The foot support assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one protruding member is composed of a wooden material.
 9. The foot support assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one attaching member is composed of a wooden material. 